Oh, my Captain! My Captain! noble soul!

Books Reviews of Nautical Fiction:

Moby Dick, by Melville 1851. Truly amazing novel. Wonderfully poetic writing, a tale that is a great adventure story on the surface, and that has meanings and metaphors as deep as the sea! My favorite book.

Billy Budd, Sailor, by Melville (begun in 1888, published pusthumously 1924). "Struck dead by an angel of God! Yet the angel must hang!"

Typee, by Melville 1846. Written based on his personal experience in the pacific. Insightful reading on the uncivilized nature of civilization, and the culture of the people that inhabited the pacific islands before the modern age. And it is worth reading it to read Melville's writing of Fayaway.

Rime of the Ancient Mariner, by Coleridge 1798. Inspiring and beautiful adventure poem that tells of a wandering storyteller who now spends his traveling days being compelled to share his story of a brutal sea voyage in which he changes from a sailor who shoots an albatross, bringing death and despair to the voyage, to a person, as the sole survivor of the journey, who loves all creatures great and small. I'd get the version with engraved prints from Gustav Dore. "Water Water everywhere and not a drop to drink.....water water everywhere and all the board did shrink..."

The Heart of Darkness, by Conrad 1899. A dark journey into our human nature. A riverboat slowly works up the river in colonial Africa along with the mind of the narrator, towards.......Kurtz, and the Heart of Darkness....great title.

Paddle to the Sea, by Holling 1941. Kid's picture book, enjoyed it when I was little and I still do! Tells the tale of a carved wooden indian canoe placed in the snow above Lake Nipigon and the canoe's subsequent journey through the Great Lakes and out the St.Laurence into the Atlantic.

Robinson Crusoe, by Defoe 1719. A very thought provoking and impressive book. Great adventure, but I am still thinking what I would write regarding a review of all the meanings and impressions gained from reading the book.

Argonautika, "The Argonautika is a Greek epic poem written by Apollonius Rhodius in the 3rd century BC. The only surviving Hellenistic epic, the Argonautica tells the myth of the voyage of Jason and the Argonauts to retrieve the Golden Fleece from remote Colchis." From Wikipedia.

Treasure Island, by Stevenson 1883. The ultimate pirate adventure tale. The black spot, one legged pirates, treachery, adventure, and pieces of eight buried amongst the Live Oaks. You must get to know Billy Bones, Long John Silver, Israel Hands, Captain Smollet, and of course young Jim Hawkins. Read it when you're young for the adventure, then read it when you're old to feel young, and read it when you're old to find whats there that's more than just adventure. "Pieces of Eight, Pieces of Eight..."